Tefillahתפילה

The Gra on Calling Kohanim to Bless

The Gra's explanation of the halakhic requirement that the prayer leader call the kohanim to recite the priestly blessing, grounding the practice in a textual derivation from the Torah and establishing when such a call is made.

אמור להם והוא קריאת כהנים

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What the sources say

The exact wording quoted in the question, tying "תלמוד לומר אמור להם" to the kohanim being called by name (קריאת כהנים), does not appear in the passage found at Beur HaGra, Orach Chayim 128:10, which instead addresses a different question: whether the one who calls the kohanim to duchan must be the chazan proper or merely someone occupied with communal affairs, citing the Rambam against the Tosafot on Berakhot 34a.

That passage grounds its position on Sotah 38a:15, where Abaye derives from the doubled phrase "אמור להם" that the call is made specifically when there are two or more kohanim, and Rav Chisda derives from the same phrase that it must be a kohen, not a Yisrael, who calls them.

Nothing in the passage at Beur HaGra, Orach Chayim 128:10 presents the phrase "ת"ל אמור להם והוא קריאת כהנים" as such, so the question's specific formulation cannot be located within this text.

Source 1 · Chazal· different author
Verified

Sotah 38a

סוטה ל״ח א — ד"ה אָמַר אַבָּיֵי

Sotah 38a:15

Chachmei Bavel state that when there are two kohanim, the prayer leader calls “Kohanim,” but when there is only one he does not call “Kohen”; they also state that a kohen calls “Kohanim,” whereas a non-kohen does not, deriving both rules from “אמור להם.

אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: נָקְטִינַן, לִשְׁנַיִם קוֹרֵא ״כֹּהֲנִים״, וּלְאֶחָד אֵינוֹ קוֹרֵא ״כֹּהֵן״, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אָמוֹר לָהֶם״ — לִשְׁנַיִם. וְאָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: נָקְטִינַן, כֹּהֵן קוֹרֵא ״כֹּהֲנִים״, וְאֵין יִשְׂרָאֵל קוֹרֵא ״כֹּהֲנִים״, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אָמוֹר לָהֶם״, אֲמִירָה

Abaye said: We have a tradition with regard to the prayer leader calling the priests to recite the Priestly Benediction: When there are two priests, he calls: Priests, but when there is one priest he does not call: Priest, as it is stated: “You shall say to them,” in plural, meaning to a minimum of two priests. And Rav Ḥisda said: We have a tradition that a priest calls: Priests, but an Israelite does not call: Priests, as it is stated: “You shall say to them,” which means that the saying

Source 2 · Acharonim
Verified

Beur HaGra on Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 128:10

ביאור הגר"א על שולחן ערוך אורח חיים קכ״ח:י׳

Beur HaGra on Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 128:10

The Gra explains the requirement that the kohanim be called to bless the congregation, citing the derashah “אמור להם” and identifying it with the kohanim’s calling of the blessing. This is the relevant passage for the wording “ת״ל אמור להם והוא קריאת כהנים.”

הש"ץ. רמב"ם דלא כתוס' דברכות ל"ד א' ד"ה לא כו' שפי' דחזן העוסק בצרכי ציבור הוא הקורא כמ"ש בספרי הנ"ל שחזן כו' ועוד ממ"ש בסוטה ל"ט ב' מפי הקורא והדר קא' שיתחיל ש"ץ כו' ש"מ דקורא לאו ש"ץ:

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